Sophocles Trachiniae 375

mvp-comment-200-1 ποῦ … πράγματος ¹

mvp-comment-200-2 ὑπόστεγον ²

mvp-comment-201-1 ὦ δὐστηνος ³ πέφυκεν ⁴

mvp-comment-201-2 This question seems strange after the words κτείνει τ’ ἄνακτα πατέρα τῆσδε ⁵

mvp-comment-201-3 διώμνυτο ⁶

mvp-comment-202-1 ἦ κάρτα ⁷

mvp-comment-202-2 The conject. ὄνομα ⁸ ὄμμα ⁹ ἆρ’ ἀνώνυμος πέφυκεν ¹⁰ ὄνομα ¹¹ φύσιν ¹² κατ’ ὄμμα ¹³

mvp-comment-202-3 φύσιν ¹⁴

mvp-comment-202-4 In some ancient texts this verse was given to Deianeira. Among recent editors, Paley shares that view. But: (1) If Deianeira has already answered her own question, the Messenger's speech opens weakly with v. 380. (2) It agrees best with the practice of Sophocles to suppose that ἦ κάρτα ¹⁵ ἢ ¹⁶ ἦ ¹⁷ φύσιν ¹⁸ διώμνυτο ¹⁹

mvp-comment-203-1 πατρὸς μὲν οὖσα ²⁰ Ἰόλη )καλεῖτο ²¹ ποτέ ²² )καλεῖτο ²³ οὖσα ²⁴

mvp-comment-203-2 Ἰόλη ²⁵

mvp-comment-203-3 τῆς ²⁶

mvp-comment-204-1 βλάστας ²⁷

mvp-comment-204-2 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν ²⁸

mvp-comment-204-3 Many editors place a comma after ἐφώνει ²⁹ δῆθεν ³⁰ δῆθεν ³¹ οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν ³²

mvp-comment-205-1 ὄλοιντο ³³

mvp-comment-205-2 The comment is aimed at Lichas in the first instance; but its vague form seems purposed, so that the hearers may extend it, if they please, to Heracles. Deianeira herself is in doubt whether the dissimulation practised by Lichas was prompted by her lord (449): Lichas explains that it was not so (479 f.). The schol.'s paraphrase shows that he wished to punctuate thus:

, etc.: ‘perish, not all men, but the evil; and (especially) he,’ etc.

mvp-comment-205-3 τὰ δὲ ³⁴ δὲ ³⁵

mvp-comment-205-4 μὴ ³⁶ πρέπονθ’ αὑτῷ ³⁷

mvp-comment-206-1 ποεῖν ³⁸

mvp-comment-207-1 πεύθου ³⁹ πυθοῦ ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-207-2 σαφῆ ⁴¹

mvp-comment-208-1 οὐκ ἀπὸ γνώμης ⁴²

mvp-comment-208-2 The accent in L here,

, represents the theory that this prep. should be paroxytone when it means ‘at a distance from,’ as in the phrases cited above, and in ( Il.9. 353 ), ( ib. 437), etc. But this was merely a refinement due to comparatively late grammarians: see Ellendt, Lex. Soph. p. 79 a: Matthiae Gr. § 572 n. b.

mvp-comment-209-1 οὐκ ἐμῶν ὑπ’ ἀγγέλων ⁴³ αὐτόκλητος ⁴⁴

375. mvp-comment-288-1 ποῦ . . πράγματος] ‘Where am 1?' Cp. Αj. 314, κἀνήρετ᾽, ἐν τῷ πράγματος κυροί ποτέ.

376-377. mvp-comment-289-1 What undermining trouble have I welcomed in beneath my roof?' Cp. Ant. 531, σὺ δ᾽, ἢ κατ᾿ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη | λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες. ὦ δύστηνος] Sc. ἐγώ. Cp. 375, 1143, 1243, О. Т. 1155, О. С. 318. ἆρ᾿ ἀνώνυμος] Deianira thus dwells bitterly on the deceit of Lichas, whereupon the literal Messenger proclaims Iole's name.

379. mvp-comment-290-1 καὶ κατ᾿ ὄμμα καὶ φύσιν] ‘In birth, as in appearance.'

380. mvp-comment-291-1 πατρός.. Εὐρύτου] 'Taking lineage from Eurytus for her sire.' Ср. Phil. 260, ὦ παῖ πατρὸς ἐξ ᾿Αχιλλέως : Εl. 365, νῦν δ᾽ ἐξὸν πατρὸς .. παῖδα κεκλῆσθαι, καλοῦ τῆς μητρός: Ο. C. 215, τίνος εἶ σπέρματος, ὦ ξένε, φώνει, πατρόθεν. ποτέ] Once.' Cp. supr. 301, and the Homeric εἴ ποτ᾽ ἔην γε (Il. 3. 180).

381. mvp-comment-292-1 'Of whose origin he had not a word to say, pretending forsooth to have made no inquiry.' Cp. supr. 317.

382. mvp-comment-293-1 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν] 'Because he did not inquire' at that former time. ὅτι (τότε) οὐδὲν ἱστόρει. Cp. supr. 281, ὑπερχλίοντες, and note.

383. mvp-comment-294-1 ὅλοιντο μή τι πάντες οἱ κακοί] The Chorus in a sort of aside, which Deianira is too absorbed to perceive (see infr. 386, ἐκπεπληγμένη), thus covertly direct their indignation at some one. Is this Lichas or Heracles? The prevarication of Lichas is hardly a sufficient cause for such an outburst, and the phrase 'unbecoming to himself' has no significance in relation to him. It is more probable that the Trachinian women, unheard by Deianira, thus breathe a curse on the unfaithfulness of Heracles. It should be remembered that he is not their master, so that the analogy of Medea, 83, 4, ὅλοιτο μὲν μή, δεσπότης γάρ ἐστ᾽ ἐμός, | ἀτὰρ κακός γ᾽ ὧν ἐς φίλους ἁλίσκεται, is rather in favour of this interpretation than against it. Cp. Phil. 451, 2, ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δ' αἰνεῖν, ὅταν | τὰ θεῖ᾽ ἐπαινῶν τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς ;

386. mvp-comment-295-1 (I ask you because) ' I am struck dumb by what is now reported.'

387. mvp-comment-296-1 σαφῆ] ‘Clear truth.'

388. mvp-comment-297-1 εἰ . . θέλοις] 'If you chose to press him hard with questioning.'

389. mvp-comment-298-1 καὶ γὰρ. λέγεις] ‘For your words are not unwise.' οὐκ ἄπο γνώμης = πρὸς γνώμης. 'Thought' in such expressions = ' Wise thought,' or 'Wisdom.'

390. mvp-comment-299-1 This line, which in the Laurentian MS. is expressly given to the Chorus, has been transferred by Hermann and recent editors to the Messenger (cp. El. 772, μάτην ἄρ᾽ ἡμεῖς, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἥκομεν), on the ground that the Chorus were bound in any case to stay where they were, and moreover were helpless in this matter. But (a) τί χρὴ ποιεῖν ; does not mean, 'How shall we help you?' but, What shall we do about staying where we are?' (b) The Ajax and Eumenides show that the Chorus sometimes left the scene, and the objection is irrelevant, for the illusion of the theatre may be carried so far as to ignore stage necessities in imagination. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 1058 foll., where Hermes advises the ocean-nymphs to fly, and El. 1399, ἀλλὰ σῖγα πρόσμενε. (c) The answer of Deianira is perfectly consistent with the coryphaeus having asked, Shall we some of us accompany you, or all wait till you come back?' but is unmeaning as a reply to the question, 'Shall I wait here while you go in, or shall I go away?' which is the only sense the line will bear if given to the Messenger.

391. mvp-comment-300-1 οὐκ . . ἀγγέλων] Sc. κλητός, which is suggested by αὐτόκλητος following.